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Genealogy: Related
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Early in my research into the descendants of Henry Doude, I had the very good fortune to come across "A Genealogical Warning" (The Connecticut Nutmegger, V. 9, #3, 1976) by genealogist Jean Rumsey. Not only did Ms. Rumsey expose factual errors in W.W. Dowd's 1885 book, "The Descendants of Henry Doude," she pointed out how the same mistakes were repeated in reprints of the information, including O.L. Doud's book, "Doud-Dowd and Allied Families." Her sound advice - not to accept the printed word as fact - was reinforced by examples of her own studies of vital records which set the records straight on several of W.W's errors. I am W.W. Dowd's great grandson. His only son, Albert Atkins Dowd, was my grandfather. Upon reading Jean Rumsey's review, I thought that I just might try to get old Willis's facts straight and publish them on the Web. Little did I realize, in my naiveté, just how difficult that could be. One of the working copies of his book had been willed to me. It had some addenda and notes, indicating that he was aware of some of his errors, but there was nothing substantive to work from. Needless to say, checking into 17th and 18th century vital records and maintaining a website devoted to the research - all in my spare time - was an ambition bordering on the delusional. But then I was given a great gift. A Doude genealogist with whom I had been corresponding periodically over the years offered me her lifelong research into the Dowds. The genealogist was Anna Mae Conrad. Most of what I present here, now and afterwards, will reflect her scholarship. Sadly, her life as a genealogist was ending just as mine was beginning. It will take me a couple of years to familiarize myself with her labors. I'm working from copies of her records. I've decided to bequeath the originals to the Godfrey Library in Middletown, Connecticut. Anna Mae Conrad's scholarship was staggering. She checked everything W.W. compiled against vital records and histories, correcting and expanding on the information. She wrote volumes of notes about her discoveries. Not only that, she and Jean Rumsey corresponded and exchanged information for years. The 1976 Nutmegger article I cited contains a reference to Anna Mae, commending her for her diligent research. Anna Mae entrusted me with her work because she trusted me to do right by it. I certainly hope to. More than anything, I would like this site to be a forum by which information about family ties can be exchanged by people who want to know more about their family heritage. Eventually, I will add a forums section. I am not a trained genealogist or historian. I am a graphic designer by profession. Correspondence that corrects or adds to the information presented here will be greatly appreciated. The endless stream of begats that are the essential components of any genealogy spanning a number of generations doesn't interest me all that much. I don't think they really meant that much to Anna Mae, either. Like me, she was interested in people and their surroundings. That's why I'm including essays on relevant historical topics. I'd like to convey a panorama of our ancestors' lives. The actions of Archbishop William Laud, for example, had a great impact on the lives of humble, obscure, people like Henry Doude. I think it's important to know what those actions were in order to understand why there was a Great Migration and why our first ancestor was a part of it. Just recently, I received another wonderful gift in the mail. It was a carton filled with even more information on the descendants of Henry Doude. Having heard that I was the recipient of Anna Mae Conrad's research, Jean Rumsey decided to give me all of her compilations! She wrote: "Rather than throw out this material, I'm shipping it on to you, ... for at my age of 87 I know I never will do anything further with it, and it might contain something of value to you." I feel very honored. Like all websites, this one will always be "under construction." So, please excuse the unfinished parts and trust that I will be updating and adding to the site on a regular basis. In the generous spirit of Jean Rumsey and Anna Mae Conrad, I hope to be able to share what information I have to everyone who is interested. Roger F.
Dowd
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